Color Compound in Some Fruits and Vegetables Could Lower Lung Cancer Risk in Smokers

A pigment in oranges, sweet red peppers, and other fruits and vegetables may lower the risk of lung cancer in smokers, according to a new study.

Nicotine is the primary addictive component of tobacco and some e-cigarette liquids. Medical scientists believe nicotine contributes to cancer promotion and progression by activating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. The study results suggest that the color compound, known as beta-cryptoxanthin (BCX), reduces the number of these receptors. This means eating fruits and vegetables high in BCX might reduce the risk of lung cancer resulting from smoking.

Doctors diagnose about 222,500 new cases of lung cancer in the United States each year, according to the American Cancer Society, and more than 155,000 Americans will die from the disease each year. The American Lung Association notes that male smokers are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer than are men who do not smoke, and female smokers are at 13 times greater risk of developing lung cancer than are non-smoking women.

Causing approximately 7,330 deaths among nonsmokers each year, exposure to secondhand smoke is also a risk factor for lung cancer.

Nicotine and the Growth of Lung Tumors

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 compounds and many of these substances, upon inhalation, act as carcinogens to damage the cells lining the lungs. While nicotine does not cause lung cancer directly, the addictive compound can promote lung tumor growth.

Study co-author Xiang-Dong Wang, of the Jean Mayer United States Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, MA, and colleagues provide more insight into how nicotine promotes lung cancer.

When inhaled, nicotine binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 (α7-nAChR), which is a nicotine receptor lying on the surface of the lungs. The binding action prompts a signaling cascade that results in the proliferation of cells and the formation of new blood vessels. Cell proliferation and blood vessel formation are processes involved in the growth of cancer.

Nicotine also increases the production of nicotinic receptors, actually creating more α7-nAChR on which to bind. Providing more nicotinic receptors strengthens the signaling cascade, further encouraging the growth of lung cancer cells. In other words, the more a person smokes or suffers secondhand exposure to smoke, the more receptors he or she develops, the stronger the process encouraging the growth cancer.

Wang and colleagues think that consuming BCX could effectively reduce the number of α7-nAChR receptors on the lungs, thereby decreasing the potential growth of lung cancer cells.

In an earlier study, Wang and a team of researchers observed an association between eating foods rich in BCX and a lower risk of lung cancer in humans. In this study, the team focused on pinpointing the mechanisms underlying the link between a BCX-rich diet and lowered risk of lung cancer in smokers.

The scientists administered a daily injection of a carcinogen derived from nicotine to two groups of mice. The test group of mice also received a daily dose of BCX before and after the nicotine injection. The researchers found that, compared with the mice that did not receive the carotenoid, the test group experienced a 52-63 percent reduction in lung tumor growth.

The researchers determined 870 micrograms, which is the equivalent to one sweet pepper or two tangerines per day for humans, as the most effective daily dose of BCX for reducing lung tumor growth.

The team then tests BCX on human lung cancer cells, both with and without α7-nAChR. They discovered that lung cancer cells with α7-nAChR receptors were less likely to spread after exposure to the color compound, as compared with lung cancer cells without those receptors.

Further research could provide a better understanding of how consuming foods rich in beta-cryptoxanthin might affect the development of lung cancer in humans.

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry. Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry. Frank currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

NSAIDs May Prevent the Development of Colorectal Cancer after Polyp Removal

A recent study published in the British medical journal suggests that NSAIDs may help prevent colorectal cancer after polyp removal – This post goes into more detail on the study.

Frank Magliochetti

Taking non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may prevent the recurrence of advanced neoplasia, a type of polyp that is the precursor of colorectal cancer, after the surgical removal of pre-existing polyps. Recurrence rates of benign polyps and advanced neoplasia are quite high, so clinicians are eager to find easy-to-follow treatments to reduce recurrence.

A team of scientists from across the United States recently collaborated with Mayo Clinic researchers to determine how well NSAIDs, aspirin and other supplements prevent the recurrence of precancerous or cancerous polyps. The results of the study, published in the British medical journal BMJ suggest NSAIDs may offer the greatest protection.

About Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer in men and woman in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths among cancers affecting both men and women.

Colorectal cancer, characterized by abnormal cell growth in the colon or rectum, is one of the few preventable types of cancers. Removing precancerous polyps during colonoscopy prevents those polyps from turning cancerous but it does not prevent recurrence of advanced neoplasia, also known as advanced adenomas or adenomatous polyps. A study published in PLOS showed a recurrence rate of 50.5 percent for polyps, and a 32.9 percent recurrence rate for neoplasia.

The results of the BMJ study showed that non-aspirin NSAIDs, particularly ibuprofen, work better than aspirin or many other nutritional supplements for most patients when it came to preventing the growth of advanced neoplasia. The researchers note that, because most colorectal cancers develop from neoplasia, chemoprevention with NSAIDs has a favorable risk to benefit profile when it comes to reducing recurrence in those with a history of high-risk neoplasia.

Hassan Murad, M.D., preventive medicine physician and clinical epidemiologist at Mayo Clinic, is the study’s senior author. “Approximately 85 percent of all colorectal cancers are thought to result from untreated adenomatous polyps,” says Murad, M.D., in a press release published by Mayo Clinic. “If we can find a way to stop their growth, we could prevent a majority of these cases.”

“We knew that aspirin and other NSAIDs have a protective effect, and that a number of other nutritional supplements have also been studied for their effectiveness in preventing cancer,” says Dr. Murad. “What we didn’t know is how they compared to each other.”

The research team conducted a meta-analysis from data obtained from 15 randomized control trials. The scientists reviewed information from 12,234 patients who were taking various supplements and medications. The researchers looked at low- and high-dose aspirin therapy, NSAIDs, vitamin D, calcium, and folic acid, and then compared each treatment alone and in different combinations.

Analysis of the information showed that non-aspirin NSAIDs worked better than all the other therapies for preventing adenomatous polyps recurrence within three to five years after removal through colonoscopy. Because these non-aspirin NSAIDs pose other health risks, this treatment may not be appropriate for all patients.

“It is important that patients and doctors have a discussion on the various risks and benefits of any medication or other therapy,” says Murad. “While a research publication may contain promising findings, it is generalized information, and each individual is different. So their care will be individualized, as well.”

North Andover, Massachusetts

This column of posts is directed at the Healthcare Industry. Frank plans to release new sites dedicated to the industry. Frank currently assists companies who are building, restructuring, transforming and resurrecting there business’s. An example of his client base are, Xenetic Biosciences , IPC Medical Corp, Just Fellowship Corp, Environmental Services Inc., Parsons Post House LLC, ClickStream Corporation as well as having a business talk radio show; The Business Architect on the URBN network.

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